Sunday, November 21, 2010
EDLD 5366 Week 1 Assignment - Ancient Manuscript
I chose Baybar’s Qur’an as my manuscript because I wanted to view a work that was purely visual and not textual. This was a magnificently beautiful book. In Baybar’s Qur’an, the colors orange, blue, gold, and brown are predominant and repeated on every page. The geometric mosaics throughout are contrasted by having no two adjacent tiles be the same color and the text is written in white for further contrast. On the pages of text, the majority of the text is yellow contrasting with the few lines written in orange to add emphasis. The facing pages containing mosaic patterns are symmetrically aligned with mirror images facing each other (except for the text), which is then contrasted on two of the pages, which have no reflection, signifying the end of a section or emphasizing the importance of the pages. I would know more about the significance if I spoke Arabic. Additionally, the facing pages almost always have the same margin with respect to the spine of the book. Further, throughout the text, symbols are placed in proximity to the text to make the page more appealing, and text is placed within the middle of the mosaics to emphasize these specific words.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Final Reflection on Action Research
This course has taught me quite a bit about true research. Prior to the start of this course, my impression of “research” was tainted by previous experiences in high school and college in my many hours searching the card catalogs, periodicals, and dusty tomes no one had touched since they were placed on the shelf. I was worried that I would have to compose a research paper over the five weeks of this course, while at the same time starting the year off teaching three different courses. Thankfully, upon learning the ins and outs of action research, these concerns proved to be unfounded.
Research is no longer sitting in a quiet library, compiling information and opinions from “experts”, and regurgitating their ideas into a paper with the hope that one’s compilation will seem unique enough to earn recognition, a good grade, or an opportunity to publish. Ironically, that would make the researcher an “expert” whose ideas would be investigated by future “researchers” who would create a whole new regurgitation mixture. Action research no longer relies solely on previous ideas or publications. We are now encouraged to leave the libraries and move our research into our daily lives, which for me, is the classroom. We are commanded to experiment, try new styles or techniques, record data, and report our ideas. This is something I can easily integrate into my classroom and my life in general. The empowerment and relief this produces is quite palpable. No longer would I have to worry about piling up more work on top of teaching, because my classroom is now a laboratory where my research happens while I teach.
Throughout this course, I have discovered new insights each week into not only research but also the importance of experimentation and its influence on pedagogical change, which is so desperately needed at this time. The weekly interviews between Dr. Jenkins and Dr. Arterbury served to bring me focus on the activities of the week and the expected outcomes, while the reading assignments revealed the practices and procedures of action research. Although both books were useful, I preferred Leading with Passion and Knowledge by Nancy Dana. I found that it provided a step-by-step template for any action research project, and it explained most everything very clearly. In the last chapter of the book, part of week five’s reading assignment, she mentions her book on action research for the classroom teacher. I, personally, would have preferred to read that text, simply because my research is happening in the classroom and does not serve an administrative purpose, however I surmise that the information is very similar.
The weekly assignments have been very helpful towards creating an action research plan for my technology internship, and receiving feedback from my site supervisor as well as my classmates on the forum has been most useful. My one concern throughout the process has been “What if I put all this work into this one inquiry, and it goes nowhere?” Based on the week five interview, and the reading throughout the last five weeks, I have come to the conclusion, that even if my project does not reach a fruition with which I would be satisfied, I will learn a lot through the process that will allow for subsequent inquiries, and I am now better prepared to answer them.
Amazingly enough, getting people interested in my wondering is much easier than I thought it would have been, much easier than it would have been just five years ago. The entire education community seems to be much more open to advancements in educational practices through technological means. My most immediate goal is to improve the education for students at my school. However, should my research produce dramatic results, I look forward to sharing the outcomes with the wider community, either through face-to-face meetings, publications, or simply blogging.
Research is no longer sitting in a quiet library, compiling information and opinions from “experts”, and regurgitating their ideas into a paper with the hope that one’s compilation will seem unique enough to earn recognition, a good grade, or an opportunity to publish. Ironically, that would make the researcher an “expert” whose ideas would be investigated by future “researchers” who would create a whole new regurgitation mixture. Action research no longer relies solely on previous ideas or publications. We are now encouraged to leave the libraries and move our research into our daily lives, which for me, is the classroom. We are commanded to experiment, try new styles or techniques, record data, and report our ideas. This is something I can easily integrate into my classroom and my life in general. The empowerment and relief this produces is quite palpable. No longer would I have to worry about piling up more work on top of teaching, because my classroom is now a laboratory where my research happens while I teach.
Throughout this course, I have discovered new insights each week into not only research but also the importance of experimentation and its influence on pedagogical change, which is so desperately needed at this time. The weekly interviews between Dr. Jenkins and Dr. Arterbury served to bring me focus on the activities of the week and the expected outcomes, while the reading assignments revealed the practices and procedures of action research. Although both books were useful, I preferred Leading with Passion and Knowledge by Nancy Dana. I found that it provided a step-by-step template for any action research project, and it explained most everything very clearly. In the last chapter of the book, part of week five’s reading assignment, she mentions her book on action research for the classroom teacher. I, personally, would have preferred to read that text, simply because my research is happening in the classroom and does not serve an administrative purpose, however I surmise that the information is very similar.
The weekly assignments have been very helpful towards creating an action research plan for my technology internship, and receiving feedback from my site supervisor as well as my classmates on the forum has been most useful. My one concern throughout the process has been “What if I put all this work into this one inquiry, and it goes nowhere?” Based on the week five interview, and the reading throughout the last five weeks, I have come to the conclusion, that even if my project does not reach a fruition with which I would be satisfied, I will learn a lot through the process that will allow for subsequent inquiries, and I am now better prepared to answer them.
Amazingly enough, getting people interested in my wondering is much easier than I thought it would have been, much easier than it would have been just five years ago. The entire education community seems to be much more open to advancements in educational practices through technological means. My most immediate goal is to improve the education for students at my school. However, should my research produce dramatic results, I look forward to sharing the outcomes with the wider community, either through face-to-face meetings, publications, or simply blogging.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Updated Research Plan
Inquiry
Can online interactive technology improve classroom performance and standardized test scores in AP classes and mathematics classes?
Goals
The main goal of this research is to improve the AP program and mathematics scores within the school and the district through the integration of online interactive technology. In the event that a dramatic improvement is observed, we can subsequently apply similar techniques to other subjects.
Activities
Activities include but are not restricted to course Wikis through the district’s Moodle account, online quizzes through Skyward or School World, and digital Vidcasts of teacher’s in-class lessons available online. Professional Development time would have to be allotted to disseminate the information to fellow teachers.
Resources and Tools
As an AP Statistics teacher, I have access to software like Fathom and TI Nspire software that is designed specifically for data analyzation. Additionally, all teachers have access to School World, for quizzing their students and completing surveys for my research. The technology department has offered to purchase Bluetooth headsets for all teachers willing to volunteer to help in audio application for teacher vidcasts. Many teachers will have Promethean software or Interwrite software that will allow for video capture of their lessons.
Draft Timeline
August, 2010 – September, 2010
I will develop the technologies in my classroom to create easy-to-follow and easy-to-implement instructions for the other AP teachers.
October, 2010
I will conduct training for the AP teachers and other interested faculty.
October, 2010 – May, 2011
I will check in with my fellow AP teachers and assess my own students and their progress.
May, 2011
TAKS scores come in.
June / July, 2011
AP test scores come in.
Persons Responsible
Ultimately, I will be the responsible individual in the research, but the AP teachers will have to be responsible for following through in their part as well.
Monitoring Process
I will have the teachers write brief reflections on a regular basis as well as complete questionnaires at the end of each semester to gauge progress.
Assessment Instruments
I shall use surveys, students’ grades, and AP test scores to gauge any significant change as a result of technology integration and implementation.
Can online interactive technology improve classroom performance and standardized test scores in AP classes and mathematics classes?
Goals
The main goal of this research is to improve the AP program and mathematics scores within the school and the district through the integration of online interactive technology. In the event that a dramatic improvement is observed, we can subsequently apply similar techniques to other subjects.
Activities
Activities include but are not restricted to course Wikis through the district’s Moodle account, online quizzes through Skyward or School World, and digital Vidcasts of teacher’s in-class lessons available online. Professional Development time would have to be allotted to disseminate the information to fellow teachers.
Resources and Tools
As an AP Statistics teacher, I have access to software like Fathom and TI Nspire software that is designed specifically for data analyzation. Additionally, all teachers have access to School World, for quizzing their students and completing surveys for my research. The technology department has offered to purchase Bluetooth headsets for all teachers willing to volunteer to help in audio application for teacher vidcasts. Many teachers will have Promethean software or Interwrite software that will allow for video capture of their lessons.
Draft Timeline
August, 2010 – September, 2010
I will develop the technologies in my classroom to create easy-to-follow and easy-to-implement instructions for the other AP teachers.
October, 2010
I will conduct training for the AP teachers and other interested faculty.
October, 2010 – May, 2011
I will check in with my fellow AP teachers and assess my own students and their progress.
May, 2011
TAKS scores come in.
June / July, 2011
AP test scores come in.
Persons Responsible
Ultimately, I will be the responsible individual in the research, but the AP teachers will have to be responsible for following through in their part as well.
Monitoring Process
I will have the teachers write brief reflections on a regular basis as well as complete questionnaires at the end of each semester to gauge progress.
Assessment Instruments
I shall use surveys, students’ grades, and AP test scores to gauge any significant change as a result of technology integration and implementation.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Week 3 Reflection
This week I have formalized my inquiry into a draft action plan. Due to EDLD 5306, I had already decided to to implement new technologies into my classes, but with this research plan, I feel more confident in expanding to other classes and other teachers. Hopefully my expectations of success will be met or exceeded by the end of my internship.
Action Research Plan
Inquiry
Can online interactive technology improve Advanced Placement classroom performance and test scores?
Goals
The main goal of this research is to improve the AP program within the school and the district through the integration of online interactive technology. In the event that a dramatic improvement is observed, we can subsequently apply similar techniques to regular and special education classes and students.
Activities
Activities include but are not restricted to course Wikis through the district’s Moodle account, online quizzes through Skyward or School World, and digital Vidcasts of teacher’s in-class lessons available online. Professional Development time would have to be allotted to disseminate the information to fellow teachers.
Resources and Tools
As an AP Statistics teacher, I have access to software like Fathom and TI Nspire software that is designed specifically for data analyzation. Additionally, the district has an account with Survey Monkey.
Draft Timeline
August, 2010 – September, 2010
I will develop the technologies in my classroom to create easy-to-follow and easy-to-implement instructions for the other AP teachers.
October, 2010
I will conduct training for the AP teachers and other interested faculty.
October, 2010 – May, 2011
I will check in with my fellow AP teachers and assess my own students and their progress.
June / July, 2011
AP test scores come in.
Persons Responsible
Ultimately, I will be the responsible individual in the research, but the AP teachers will have to be responsible for following through in their part as well.
Monitoring Process
I will have the teachers write brief reflections on a regular basis as well as complete questionnaires at the end of each semester to gauge progress.
Assessment Instruments
I shall use surveys, students’ grades, and AP test scores to gauge any significant change as a result of technology integration and implementation.
Can online interactive technology improve Advanced Placement classroom performance and test scores?
Goals
The main goal of this research is to improve the AP program within the school and the district through the integration of online interactive technology. In the event that a dramatic improvement is observed, we can subsequently apply similar techniques to regular and special education classes and students.
Activities
Activities include but are not restricted to course Wikis through the district’s Moodle account, online quizzes through Skyward or School World, and digital Vidcasts of teacher’s in-class lessons available online. Professional Development time would have to be allotted to disseminate the information to fellow teachers.
Resources and Tools
As an AP Statistics teacher, I have access to software like Fathom and TI Nspire software that is designed specifically for data analyzation. Additionally, the district has an account with Survey Monkey.
Draft Timeline
August, 2010 – September, 2010
I will develop the technologies in my classroom to create easy-to-follow and easy-to-implement instructions for the other AP teachers.
October, 2010
I will conduct training for the AP teachers and other interested faculty.
October, 2010 – May, 2011
I will check in with my fellow AP teachers and assess my own students and their progress.
June / July, 2011
AP test scores come in.
Persons Responsible
Ultimately, I will be the responsible individual in the research, but the AP teachers will have to be responsible for following through in their part as well.
Monitoring Process
I will have the teachers write brief reflections on a regular basis as well as complete questionnaires at the end of each semester to gauge progress.
Assessment Instruments
I shall use surveys, students’ grades, and AP test scores to gauge any significant change as a result of technology integration and implementation.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Research - Week 2
This week the concept of action research has been more formally developed and defined. I have come to realize that I have, without realizing it, already participated in action research to a less-formal degree, and I look forward to having more of an impact on my school and district in the future. There are specific passions within the nine we learned this week, that I feel I can easily integrate into my internship and current position.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Educational Leaders as Bloggers
Blogs can be used by educational leaders primarily to disseminate information to students, parents, and employees regarding policies, emergencies, or simply successes the school or district has achieved. Sometimes, providing a "state-of-the-school" address is enough to encourage parents that the educational leader, whether principal or superintendent, is invested in the education of their children. Additionally, publically acknowledging individual student and teacher accomplishments in a timely fashion, rather than in the next monthly newsletter, is an excellent way to improve morale and school-wide atmosphere. Finally, blogging provides a forum for public feedback so parents and students can feel like their opinions have been heard. Overall, blogging's role as an information provider is overshadowed by its emotional impact throughout the community.
Action Research Overview
Having multiple trepidations about “traditional research”, the concept of action research is a welcome game changer. Often times, I have made suggestions, derived primarily from my experience with current students in my classroom, to curriculum specialists within my district who have shot me down because “research shows” a different view. What they really mean is “I read an article written by one person conducting a study based on ideas by several other individuals, all of whom know nothing about our district’s students or demographics, and they found success by performing this specific action with a group of students completely unrelated to ours that must extrapolate to our student population.” Action research, on the other hand, relies on the experience and expertise of the teachers or individuals involved rather than solely outside “experts”.
Whereas traditional research relies on the citing of articles, texts, or interviews to “prove” something about a general population, action research requires inquiry, collaboration, testing, and reflection to prove something about a specific population. Action research begins with a question, problem the district is experiencing, or suggestion for improvement. A team is then assembled to devise a plan based on their own experiences with the specific population for answering the question, solving the problem, or trying out the suggestion. The plan is then carried out, and the effects are observed, recorded, and continuously reflected upon to modify and improve the plan mid-process. In fact it’s not so much “research” as it is “experimentation”.
All-in-all, action research is nothing if not empowering, allowing the teachers to be the expert researchers on whom the administration can rely. In fact, I can conduct action research of my own to improve the quality of my teaching and the quality of AP classes in general, as well as present my findings to my principal, administration, and school board to better represent myself and my fellow teachers. Furthermore, I can do all of this without relying on outside sources or experts to tell me how my class should be run or how it can improve. From now on, research will show the results of my own experimentation.
Whereas traditional research relies on the citing of articles, texts, or interviews to “prove” something about a general population, action research requires inquiry, collaboration, testing, and reflection to prove something about a specific population. Action research begins with a question, problem the district is experiencing, or suggestion for improvement. A team is then assembled to devise a plan based on their own experiences with the specific population for answering the question, solving the problem, or trying out the suggestion. The plan is then carried out, and the effects are observed, recorded, and continuously reflected upon to modify and improve the plan mid-process. In fact it’s not so much “research” as it is “experimentation”.
All-in-all, action research is nothing if not empowering, allowing the teachers to be the expert researchers on whom the administration can rely. In fact, I can conduct action research of my own to improve the quality of my teaching and the quality of AP classes in general, as well as present my findings to my principal, administration, and school board to better represent myself and my fellow teachers. Furthermore, I can do all of this without relying on outside sources or experts to tell me how my class should be run or how it can improve. From now on, research will show the results of my own experimentation.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Course Reflections
Over the past five weeks I have completed my first graduate-level course, and I have accomplished quite a bit in such a short amount of time. Going into this course and this program in general, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Honestly, I had come very close to not going through with the program at all, debating and discussing with friends, colleagues, and family the pros and cons of this master’s program. I decided to “try it out” with one course to see how I liked it (the Jenny Craig approach). When that one course was titled “Fundamentals of Educational Technology”, I died a little on the inside, remembering such fond times as Introduction to Electrical Engineering and Introduction to Computer Science, two courses, designed to weed out the non-engineers, that made me into the math teacher I am today. I was concerned that this would be a “separate the men from the boys” type introductory class, and my initial goal was simply to get through it. After the first week, my goals and expected outcomes changed dramatically; I wanted to learn how to set up, personalize, and maintain 2.0 technologies, and I wanted to learn how to incorporate them into my classroom. Although, I am quite sure I’ll be learning more detailed operations and advanced applications in future courses, I believe all of my expectations have been met, even going so far as to even get through the course. Not only that, but outcomes I hadn’t expected or planned for have come to fruition: I feel more comfortable with the ins and outs of not only how to implement technology integration but how to do it in a safe and appropriate manner.
After the third week’s reading assignment, I became overcome with an excitement for this next school year, an excitement I haven’t felt since I was given the opportunity to teach calculus. Say what you want, but that’s exciting. I set about immediately talking to my principal about how I can incorporate blogs, wikis, and vidcasts into my classroom while still ascribing to district policy, meeting with my curriculum specialist concerning professional development I wanted to lead after becoming more proficient with these tools, and discussing with the director of technology the limits on bandwidth and memory to accomplish my goals. I even went so far to post on my Facebook status (which I do very irregularly), “I want to apologize to all of my former students because this year is going to be awesome!” Not only is what I’ve learned throughout this course relevant to my job, but it’s something I’m genuinely ecstatic about integrating into the courses I teach.
However, one outcome I would have liked to achieve, something I had come up with during my flurry of excitement and, dare I say, giddiness, was the ability to create a blog or wiki that held some applicable aspects to the courses I teach. I was developing all of these great ideas, but I didn’t have an opportunity to share them through my course work. Blogs and wikis were used in this course just to summarize articles and books, state opinions of articles and technology plans, and report on summaries our districts and states had already developed. Although I understand the importance of examining all the documents assigned, it felt strange to me that we were simply rehashing and rephrasing information from them, rather than applying them to something truly useful. If we want to get into the Digital Native mindset, why are we performing Digital Immigrant tasks? Rather than reading and reciting, we should be applying and producing.
Along the same lines, there were times I felt confused by the instructions in the assignments. Even though this did not result in incomplete or unsuccessful assignments, it did provide me with frustration every now and again. There were times when the explanations were overly long, there were times when the explanations left things out, and there were times when they just weren’t very clear and were even contradictory. However, I was able to work my way through it by deciphering the meanings myself, from reading posts and responses on the message board, and from e-mailing instructors and advisors. Additionally, the rubrics provided clarification of expectations for an assignment. One area where I was less successful was in the first week discussion post, where I missed out on some points because I had no clue what “Final Word Protocol” meant. Although I should have asked for clarification, further explanation would have been useful right up front.
Overall, this course has been quite eye-opening for many reasons, some of which really have nothing to do with technology. Sadly, I didn’t take college as seriously as I should have, spending more time rehearsing for plays in my evenings than studying for tests and completing assignments. Having taught for several years, I find that I have much more patience and appreciation for learning in general, and I know I will be successful throughout this program. Furthermore, I now have a digital tool chest (I’m still acquiring tools) to motivate and inspire my students to learn and enjoy the process of learning. Finally, I have learned I am not nearly as tech-savvy as I thought I was, and I am not nearly as proficient with Web 2.0 tools as I figured I would be. Where once I would have counted myself amongst the digital native population, I must resign myself to being nothing more than a fairly fluent digital immigrant, but one who’s working towards his digital citizenship.
After the third week’s reading assignment, I became overcome with an excitement for this next school year, an excitement I haven’t felt since I was given the opportunity to teach calculus. Say what you want, but that’s exciting. I set about immediately talking to my principal about how I can incorporate blogs, wikis, and vidcasts into my classroom while still ascribing to district policy, meeting with my curriculum specialist concerning professional development I wanted to lead after becoming more proficient with these tools, and discussing with the director of technology the limits on bandwidth and memory to accomplish my goals. I even went so far to post on my Facebook status (which I do very irregularly), “I want to apologize to all of my former students because this year is going to be awesome!” Not only is what I’ve learned throughout this course relevant to my job, but it’s something I’m genuinely ecstatic about integrating into the courses I teach.
However, one outcome I would have liked to achieve, something I had come up with during my flurry of excitement and, dare I say, giddiness, was the ability to create a blog or wiki that held some applicable aspects to the courses I teach. I was developing all of these great ideas, but I didn’t have an opportunity to share them through my course work. Blogs and wikis were used in this course just to summarize articles and books, state opinions of articles and technology plans, and report on summaries our districts and states had already developed. Although I understand the importance of examining all the documents assigned, it felt strange to me that we were simply rehashing and rephrasing information from them, rather than applying them to something truly useful. If we want to get into the Digital Native mindset, why are we performing Digital Immigrant tasks? Rather than reading and reciting, we should be applying and producing.
Along the same lines, there were times I felt confused by the instructions in the assignments. Even though this did not result in incomplete or unsuccessful assignments, it did provide me with frustration every now and again. There were times when the explanations were overly long, there were times when the explanations left things out, and there were times when they just weren’t very clear and were even contradictory. However, I was able to work my way through it by deciphering the meanings myself, from reading posts and responses on the message board, and from e-mailing instructors and advisors. Additionally, the rubrics provided clarification of expectations for an assignment. One area where I was less successful was in the first week discussion post, where I missed out on some points because I had no clue what “Final Word Protocol” meant. Although I should have asked for clarification, further explanation would have been useful right up front.
Overall, this course has been quite eye-opening for many reasons, some of which really have nothing to do with technology. Sadly, I didn’t take college as seriously as I should have, spending more time rehearsing for plays in my evenings than studying for tests and completing assignments. Having taught for several years, I find that I have much more patience and appreciation for learning in general, and I know I will be successful throughout this program. Furthermore, I now have a digital tool chest (I’m still acquiring tools) to motivate and inspire my students to learn and enjoy the process of learning. Finally, I have learned I am not nearly as tech-savvy as I thought I was, and I am not nearly as proficient with Web 2.0 tools as I figured I would be. Where once I would have counted myself amongst the digital native population, I must resign myself to being nothing more than a fairly fluent digital immigrant, but one who’s working towards his digital citizenship.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Week 2 Web Conference Reflection
I will not lie and say that this process is going to be a piece of cake, but I do appreciate the time and energy others will be putting in for my benefit in assisting me through the next 18 months. It's all a bit overwhelming, but I'm sure that by the end of this course, I'll have managed my time well enough so that I can go back to the classroom and stay on top of my coursework.
I do have several choices for my internship site advisor, but I'll have to read the handbook before deciding which one will serve me best. Hopefully, whoever I do choose will be able to recommend conferences and activities that will satisfy my one hundred hours.
As far as the conference itself, I know there were some hicchups, but that's bound to happen for a bunch of first timers, and I know as the months progress, it'll get easier. I really appreciated Dr. Borel taking some time out to assist us this evening.
I do have several choices for my internship site advisor, but I'll have to read the handbook before deciding which one will serve me best. Hopefully, whoever I do choose will be able to recommend conferences and activities that will satisfy my one hundred hours.
As far as the conference itself, I know there were some hicchups, but that's bound to happen for a bunch of first timers, and I know as the months progress, it'll get easier. I really appreciated Dr. Borel taking some time out to assist us this evening.
Monday, July 19, 2010
National Educational Technology Plan
Learning is changing at an accelerated, and, some would say, exponential rate. To meet this shift, educators must be willing to learn new methods for engaging a wide variety of learning styles, demographics, and learning deficiencies for the sole purpose of conveying information effectively to create a generation of true and excited learners. To this end, President Obama and has set a couple all-encompassing goals:
• By 2020, the proportion of the population with a 2 to 4-year degree will raise from 29% to 60%.
• The achievement gap will be closed so that everyone has the same opportunity at success. The goal is admirable, surely, but the real question is “How do we achieve them?”
Learning
“All learners will have engaging and empowering learning experiences both in and outside of school that prepare them to be active, creative, knowledgeable, and ethical participants in our globally networked society.” Through the use of technology, a student’s background, disability, or learning style will no longer stand in their way as learning becomes personalized and interesting to them. Although the tried-and-true methods and content we teach has served our students for years, it is now outdated and outmatched by current technology evolution. Understanding students need learning that adapts to change rather than that of stagnancy.
Teaching
“Professional educators will be supported individually and in teams by technology that connects them to data, content, resources, expertise, and learning experiences that can empower and inspire them to provide more effective teaching for all learners.” Teachers and educators of all type must become “connected” teachers, interacting with students, fellow teachers, administrators, and experts through technological networks in a 24/7 process and gaining access to and training for up-to-date technology to better engage and motivate student learning. Professional development must shift from episodic to “collaborative, coherent, and continuous” in order to make a meaningful change in teachers’ personal philosophies.
Issues and Concerns
The issues and concerns maintained throughout the plan deal with obstacles keeping the plan from achieving fruition. Large drop-out rates and disengagement from learning, as well as emphasis applied to non-real-world-applicable material is major hindrance in learning that must be overcome. Additionally, lack of technological “know-how” of not only teachers but administrators and policy-makers has led to a bureaucratic nightmare that threatens to halt technological progress in its steps.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
School or District Technology Plan
Pearland ISD’s technology plan contains the following goals: (1) to enhance the quality of instruction through district wide implementation of industry standard technology hardware and software as an integral part of the learning environment, (2) to utilize technology as an integral part of educational improvement and curriculum enhancement, (3) to provide high quality, on-going staff development and support, and (4) to provide administrative and support services. To achieve these goals, the district will provide on-going assistance in the implementation of district-wide and commercially available technologies, as well as provide new technologies for integration into the various curriculums and classroom instruction. Additionally, the district is currently investigating distance-based learning for students, technology seminars for parents, and a few online courses for teachers available 24/7.
Although few technology professional development opportunities are offered, the plan expresses the desire to improve and expand upon the technologies already available as well as implementing new technologies. The technology director, her department, instructional technology personnel, and campus principals are directly involved in organizing and managing professional development. However, it appears much of the time and money resources dedicated to technology improvement is still pending board and superintendent approval. The plan provides both time and budgetary suggestions, but ultimately, the decision belongs to the board. Furthermore, in section 1.4.7 the director of technology will identify E-Rate qualified technology and secure funding for qualified purchases.
Assessments of student-learning success and evaluations of the plan’s progress towards district-set goals are conducted by teacher, campus, and district STaR charts, curriculum and technology support staff, as well as a school’s technology committee. Furthermore, inventories, professional development evaluation forms, infrastructure evaluation forms, and external audits will also assist in evaluating Pearland’s progress to determine success, failure, and possible alternative avenues to ensure money and time are spent wisely in improving student development.
Although few technology professional development opportunities are offered, the plan expresses the desire to improve and expand upon the technologies already available as well as implementing new technologies. The technology director, her department, instructional technology personnel, and campus principals are directly involved in organizing and managing professional development. However, it appears much of the time and money resources dedicated to technology improvement is still pending board and superintendent approval. The plan provides both time and budgetary suggestions, but ultimately, the decision belongs to the board. Furthermore, in section 1.4.7 the director of technology will identify E-Rate qualified technology and secure funding for qualified purchases.
Assessments of student-learning success and evaluations of the plan’s progress towards district-set goals are conducted by teacher, campus, and district STaR charts, curriculum and technology support staff, as well as a school’s technology committee. Furthermore, inventories, professional development evaluation forms, infrastructure evaluation forms, and external audits will also assist in evaluating Pearland’s progress to determine success, failure, and possible alternative avenues to ensure money and time are spent wisely in improving student development.
Technology Assessments
Technology knowledge and skills are an essential part of today’s modern life-style, and although children and adolescents are utilizing these technological skill sets in their everyday life to play video games, text message, interact with Facebook, and check out stupid videos of people hurting themselves or being obnoxious on YouTube, they are not using modern technology to learn necessary information for their futures, nor are they acquiring good technological skills and beneficial practices that they can improve upon in the years to come. It is an absolute must that we offer our students a way to meld their understanding of modern technologies with the knowledge we, as educators, have to offer.
To achieve this end, we must first develop a means, and we must gauge where our skill sets lie in tandem with our students’ abilities. Mary Burns shows in From Compliance to Commitment that teacher proficiency with technology is not necessary to provide technological opportunities to students. As long as teachers have a general understanding of the technologies available to them and their students, the students will meet, and usually exceed, expectations.
The downsides to technological ability assessment is that much of the time, a student or teacher will label themselves as novice or low, when really they are above average amongst their peers. When it comes to technology, newcomers (or “Digital Immigrants”, Marc Prensky, Adapt and Adopt) often feel discouraged concerning their own abilities. On the other hand, the upsides include the ability to better communicate and collaborate if we understand our abilities and how they can coincide with our students’. Additionally, we can utilize the students’ expertise with 2.0 technology tools to better narrow the gap between instruction and absorption. The path we must take to improve is one we must take with our students, or as Mary Burns puts it, “The distance between teachers and students – academic, emotional, and physical – had diminished as teachers became co-learners with students.”
To achieve this end, we must first develop a means, and we must gauge where our skill sets lie in tandem with our students’ abilities. Mary Burns shows in From Compliance to Commitment that teacher proficiency with technology is not necessary to provide technological opportunities to students. As long as teachers have a general understanding of the technologies available to them and their students, the students will meet, and usually exceed, expectations.
The downsides to technological ability assessment is that much of the time, a student or teacher will label themselves as novice or low, when really they are above average amongst their peers. When it comes to technology, newcomers (or “Digital Immigrants”, Marc Prensky, Adapt and Adopt) often feel discouraged concerning their own abilities. On the other hand, the upsides include the ability to better communicate and collaborate if we understand our abilities and how they can coincide with our students’. Additionally, we can utilize the students’ expertise with 2.0 technology tools to better narrow the gap between instruction and absorption. The path we must take to improve is one we must take with our students, or as Mary Burns puts it, “The distance between teachers and students – academic, emotional, and physical – had diminished as teachers became co-learners with students.”
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